


Pray for the Night

by yandereghouls



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexuality, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Partying, Slow Burn, Tattoos, Underage Drinking, college party, lots of tattoos, these poor kids don't know how to deal with feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yandereghouls/pseuds/yandereghouls
Summary: "Dude, he's just your type!" Mimi insisted eagerly, mouth overflowed with fruit loops."Tall, nerdy, and extremely unavailable?" Keiko huffed dramatically."I was gonna say glasses, but yeah that works too." she snickered.—As it turns out, college isn't as glamorous as all of those movies had made it out to be.As a group of unlikely friends struggle to navigate their new-found freedom, they realize they still have a lot of growing up to do, and will need to lean on each other along the way.





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

> in other words, the cutesy and slightly sexual digimon college au that no one particularly asked for but that I felt really compelled to do. this is based in north american post-secondary, and focuses on the main cast of the original digimon adventure, as well as a few OC's, mostly to keep the story realistic
> 
> also! the title is from the song lost in the light by bahamas that i would def recommend checking out!

“I cannot believe I have this much crap,” Keiko muttered, hauling yet another box from the tailgate of her beaten-up truck. Ayumi, her younger sister, smiled knowingly, trailing behind with the last of the crates.

“I told you not to pack so much.” Keiko scoffed playfully, adjusting her grip on the box, but she couldn’t find it in herself to argue further. She would miss Ayumi dearly in the next few months, even if they were only a couple of hours away— and the younger girl knew it.

The building that stood before her was large and looming, but inviting. Red bricks stacked high, with rows of white-paned windows and two matching sets of large white doors. A gold and navy flag blew in the breeze in front of the dormitory. The dorm rooms themselves were tiny, with musty carpet and dingey, off-white curtains. All the communal areas smelt strongly of dude and burnt pizza rolls, not to mention the pleasant aroma of very stale beer. Although they did have a bathroom in their room, there was only room for a toilet and a sink, and the communal showers gave little privacy with their cramped stalls and nearly transparent doors—not to mention the grimy tile. The dorm left something to be desired, certainly, but Keiko still found herself giddily smiling up at it.

She set her box on the step leading up to the dormitory and sat, groaning as she stretched her aching fingers. A tinkling laugh rang beside her from Ayumi, carrying two boxes with ease and a smile gracing her pink cheeks. “Come on, lazy. This is the last of it.”

Keiko figured it was just her luck she was placed on the top-most floor of the building, having to trek up too many flights of stairs before finally reaching the sixth floor. The building was a shared one, both girls and guys bustling around the site to get settled in before supper. Panting, she hauled the final box beside her bed with a satisfied grunt, falling back into the semi-comfortable mattress. A decently sized window split the room in two, sunlight streaming heavily into the already stuffy area. With a start, Keiko realized the bed parallel to hers was already set up, a white and gray comforter tucked neatly into the corners of the bed. She hadn't expected her roommate to arrive so early.

After cracking a window open, Keiko turned back toward the pyramid of boxes that faced her. Ayumi sat on the bare mattress, teary-eyed and sniffling. She gave a weak smile toward her sister. “I’m going to miss you, you know.”

Keiko could feel a lump forming in her throat. She pushed it down, cradling her sisters head into her shoulder. At only sixteen, Ayumi had always been the more emotional of the two, and terrible at hiding it—one look at her large doe eyes and you could read any thought going through her head. Ever since they were little girls, she could recall wiping fat tears from her sister's chubby cheeks, reassuring her it would be alright. Keiko stared up at the ceiling to ignore her own watering eyes. “I’ll call you all the time, every day if you want.”

“Well let’s not go crazy, here.” giggled Ayumi, sniffling lightly. With a deep breath, she smudged away the wetness on her cheeks. “How about you text me whenever you can, and call me on the weekends?”

Trying not to let her smile look too grim, Keiko pulled her sister close, pressing her nose into her hair. “It’s a deal.”

Pulling away, she pushed a piece of ebony hair from Ayumi’s face. It was hard to believe she wouldn’t be seeing the girl every day now, accompanying her to school or driving her to movie dates with boys she didn’t approve of. She could feel her heart sinking with the realization, and swallowed hard.

“Just… call me if you need anything. And don’t let those boys try anything!” she could feel her voice cracking up, and struggled to string her words together. “It’s a short drive back home and it’s a hell of a lot shorter if I’m mad and speeding.”

Ayumi giggled joyfully, the rosiness in her cheeks fading a bit. At times, she still reminded Keiko of the little girl she’d helped ride a bike, and write her name for the first time. It made her heartache to have to part with her. The door creaked open suddenly, startling the two girls. Keiko’s eyes jumped to Yuna, her roommate, and best friend, struggling with an armful of yoga mats and an extremely oversized lamp. With an amused grin, Keiko relieved her of the tall lamp, balancing it on the girl’s bedside table.

Yuna regarded her with an ironically impressed look. “Wow, didn’t expect you two to be here so early.”

‘I can be on time occasionally, you know.” chucked Keiko, playing with the failing tape on her nearest box.

“Damn, really?” Yuna snorted sarcastically, observing her nearly totally unpacked side of the room. “Would be the first time in the six years I’ve known you.”

With a quick roll of her eyes, Keiko turned back towards her sister, pulling her into one last bone-crushing embrace. Ayumi sent her a hesitant gaze, looking guilty. “You know, you could still come for dinner with us if you’d like. I’m sure Dad would–“

“That’s okay.” Keiko’s tone was clipped as she distracted herself with organizing boxes, eyes refusing to meet her sister's gaze. “I had plans to meet up with Sora anyways.”

Ayumi paused, going to press further but steered off at the sight of Keiko’s clenched fingers. With a discouraged sigh, she bid one last farewell to her sister, closing the door carefully behind her.

With a slightly relieved sigh, Keiko fell back against her bare mattress, the frustration that had been building in her chest slowly fading.

“What the hell was that about?” Yuna questioned, straightening a string of lights around her headboard. “I’ve never seen you that rude to Ayumi.”

Guilt building up slow in her throat, Keiko chewed her cheek, avoiding her friends pressing gaze. She studied the graffiti craftily placed along the inside of the bed frame, heart weighing down her chest. “Just a long morning, I guess.”

By the time dinner rolled around, nearly the entire room was unpacked and decently tidy, in exception of the large pile of dilapidated boxes stuffed along a far corner. Trying to keep her mind off her aching feet and fingers, Keiko adjusted the last of her wall decorations, a slightly tacky brass sun, and slung herself against the bed. Yuna giggled mercilessly from her bed, a cheeky grin across her slim cheeks. “What? Regretting that you didn’t show up a little earlier?”

Keiko groaned airily, slipping on a pair of sandals. She still had to meet Sora for dinner at a nearby coffeehouse, although her body was begging for a bit of relaxation.

Sora lived on the third floor, only three staircases down from Keiko and the only all-girls floor in the building—by her mother’s request, no doubt. Her knock on the door was answered quickly by a cute girl with long bubble-gum pink hair, a matching cowgirl hat perched elegantly on it. She smiled brightly, if confused, and tilted her head sweetly. “Can I help you?”

“I’m actually just looking for Sora,” Keiko explained, trying to sneak a look past the girl's shoulder for her friend. “I think I have the right room?”

“Well obviously,” Sora quipped, adjusting her sneakers from behind her roommate, her red hair bouncing. “When have I ever given you the wrong directions?”

Keiko chuckled, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. “Guess you haven’t failed me yet.”

The café was a quick walk from the campus, the walkway lined by trees with coloring leaves and a few stray flowerbeds. Although the restaurant was moderately occupied with chatting students, Keiko couldn’t help but enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and the lowkey music floating through the establishment. She could finally feel her shoulders relax as she cradled the warm cup of coffee between her fingers.

Sora giggled at her friend, swirling her cup of tea mindlessly. “You look like you haven’t relaxed in days.”

Throwing her a half-smile, Keiko reveled in the taste of her bitter drink. It was true, the last few days had been overly hectic and rushed, and she had hardly slept at all. “What gave it away, the bags under my eyes or just the general look of death?”

With a chuckle, she adjusted the sleeve of her cardigan. Although they were only creeping into the last week of August, the nights still nipped with cold, especially with the wind rustling a few leaves across the branches. “Actually, it was more in your eyes.”

Keiko furrowed her brow, turning back to her warm mug. She hadn’t known Sora too long, a little under a year, and yet somehow the girl had always been able to read her. It both comforted Keiko and unnerved her—there were some things she’d rather keep to herself. But that was the nice thing about Sora, she could tell when you didn’t want to talk and respected it. She knew boundaries.

With a newly brightened smile, Sora quickly steered away from the topic, ripping a piece from her scone. “How are you liking your room? You got Yuna as your roommate, right?” That was a nice thing about Sora, she could tell when you didn’t want to talk and respected it. She knew boundaries.

Hiding her relieved sigh at the change in direction, Keiko smiled excitedly. “Yeah! She requested it since she didn’t want to be alone, especially for her first year.” 

“It must be nice,” Sora sighed, blowing at the steam pluming up from her cup. “to be with someone that you know.”

“It definitely helps.” Keiko agreed. “How are you liking your roommate?”

“Mimi is, she’s nice,” Sora uttered, twisting a dainty ring on her finger. It was the only jewelry Keiko had ever seen her wear. “It’s just…”

Keiko sighed as Sora stopped herself, looking guilty. “You know, it’s not a bad thing if you don’t really like her.”

“It’s not that I don’t like her.” Sora insisted, a bit defensively. She never wanted to be rude, and she always hated feeling like she was judging people, especially after only one afternoon together. “We just don’t have a lot in common. I tried talking to her all day, and she’s really sweet, but she doesn’t play any sports or even know how soccer really works! And she kept raving about the shopping mall nearby, and kept forgetting where she put things.” She paused, taking in a breath. “It’ll just be an adjustment.”

Keiko could imagine, being an only child her whole life, that suddenly having to live surrounded by unknown people was a bit dismaying for Sora. She gave the girl a comforting smile. “You’re going to do just fine here If I know anything about Sora Takenouchi, it’s that she doesn’t give up when shit gets hard.”

With a proud giggle, Sora finally seemed to release some tension, leaning forward onto the table. She gazed out into the courtyard facing the café, the main building of the university peaking over the trees. A feeling of anticipation washed over her as she examined the establishment. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

Keiko purses her lips, sharing a glance out towards her future home. “I know what you mean. Seems a bit surreal, doesn’t it?”

Sora hummed, her eyes holding a tinge of sadness to them. “Both our families are already gone, and we’re still here, and we’ll be here for the next few years. No parents, nothing familiar. All by ourselves, like a new life…”

Keiko could share some of her concerns, but her overwhelming excitement had crushed them all. She’d been dreaming for years about university, of finally getting out of that house, of no longer having to live under her father. No, she really couldn’t see any downside to being here. She swallowed hard, giving Sora a wide grin. “I know it must be a little scary, but try not to worry yourself so much. If you ever need some help, I’ll be here. You won’t be all alone.”

Keiko wasn’t sure if she had said the right thing, she never really was, but Sora seemed calmed by her words. With a relieved sigh, she continued, “Besides, these are supposed to be the best years of our lives, might as well make the best of it.”

Sora giggled and nodded, seemingly more at ease after her friend's little speech. “You’re right, these will be the best years of our lives.”

With a grin, Keiko snuck one last glance out towards the university, the sun starting to set slowly behind it. With a final resolved look, she swore she would do what she could to fulfill that prediction.


	2. Stop and Smell the Rosé

When the fourth day away from home rolled around, Keiko decided she had never been this bored in such a short amount of time. Since freshmen had to arrive on campus a week early, her days were pitifully long and empty. Aside from a few restaurants, the campus was mostly surrounded by residential areas, with nothing too exciting where she could go pass time. Her clock read well past noon, and the dusty dorm was beginning to make her itch with discomfort.

The bed parallel to hers was empty, and the white running sneakers by the door were missing, meaning Yuna must have taken off to an afternoon jog. The girl had been intrigued with fitness on a nearly obsessive level since high school, and never seemed to go a day without getting in at least a short run. Keiko, however, couldn’t wait for the school’s baseball diamond to be open, since she had always held a love for more competitive team sports.

Sighing, she gazed around the room. Although it was small and becoming a bit homey, it was still bland and mostly empty. Her desk was bare except for a laptop and a simple desk lamp, an old-fashioned Fleetwood Mac poster hung directly above it. The walls were clinical and white, and the room was quiet. It still felt like just a room more than it did a home.

With a dejected sigh, Keiko pulled on a pair of sneakers, running her fingers quickly through her choppy hair. She was restless and in desperate need of some fresh air. With a final look to her side of the room, she swiped her purse from beside her bed and strode out the door.

Hours Later

By the time Keiko finally collapsed on her bed once again, the sun was beginning to set and she had carried up at least three plants up the grueling six flights of stairs. It would be just her luck that the elevator was broken the first week of university.

Her walls now held a few extra ornaments and posters, including a small neon sign and a string of tassels that she really didn’t know why she bought. Even though the purchases were spontaneous and mostly useless–i.e. the yellow lava lamp that now held a place on her desk–Keiko felt a little more comforted by her small living space now that she’d made it her own. The plants helped the room seem a little more lively, and the bright yellow tapestry she’d hung behind her bed gave the space at least a bit more character.

Yuna had been a little less than impressed with her shopping spree, to say the least. She knew the things she’d bought were most likely a waste of money, but being surrounded by little knick-knacks and trinkets gave her a strange peace of mind. Besides, she had rolled around to the idea rather quickly.

“What should this one's name be?” Yuna grinned, adjusting the pot of a mature English ivy plant, adjusting its leaves delicately. “I was thinking she looks like a Martha.”

Keiko threw her head back in laughter, clipping back the wispy stray ends of her hair. “She definitely looks like a Martha.”

The afternoon sun streamed lazily into the room, as slow music played from Yuna’s laptop across the room. With a deceiving grin and her hands hidden behind her back, Yuna crept next to Keiko. “I brought a surprise.”

Brows furrowed, Keiko leaned against her headboard lazily as Yuna slowly revealed the two large bottles of wine she’d stowed behind her back. Keiko snorted at the girl's excited face, her round eyes gleaming behind her wire-rim glasses. With her round cheeks and wide eyes, Yuna had just about the most innocent face Keiko had ever seen, and she often found hilarity in the cunning that lies behind it. “Damn, okay, party girl.”

Arranging herself comfortably beside her friend, Yuna grinned widely as she jimmied off the cork of the first bottle of rosé. Although she usually preferred less sugary drinks, Keiko wouldn’t turn down a glass of wine where there was one.

“I was thinking we should invite Sora too!” Yuna proposed, fishing out some make-shift plastic cups she had stuffed in her purse and handing one to Keiko. “You know, as a sort of housewarming slash we made it to fuckin’ college gift.”

With a grin and a quick sprint down the stairs, Keiko arrived on the fourth floor, finding herself staring down at Sora in her doorway, a wide grin spread across her cheeks. Looking mildly surprised, Sora quickly softened her face into a welcoming smile. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Wanna come upstairs for a couple of drinks?” Keiko inquired, stepping through the doorway and into the dorm. “Yuna got a couple bottles of rosé to celebrate. Guess she got some sort of ‘coming-of-age’ epiphany.”

Sora’s side of the dorm was organized and lovely, simple decorations and picture frames lined across the desk. Keiko let a soft smile take over when she spotted one of the two of them skating together the previous winter, cheeks rosy and frostbitten. The other half of the room was a mild disaster, a few odd heels and boots spread haphazardly across the carpet and a head of pink hair hunched over a desk surrounded by what seemed to be dozens of crumpled or torn rough sketches.

“I don’t know Keiko, it’s getting a little late,” Sora muttered, looking toward her bed longingly. She was still dressed in athletic wear, which meant she had most likely run herself out kicking soccer balls at an empty net until late in the evening. Keiko chuckled, leaning towards the wall.

“You’re acting like you have a class to go to tomorrow or something, besides it’s barely dark out.” she pointed out teasingly, feeling a bit bothered by her friend's reluctance. “Come on, enjoy your first few days as a free woman by getting a little drunk off cheap wine with your friends! It’s a right of passage!” 

Sora gave a quick, telling nod towards her roommate’s bowed head, clearly feeling guilty about leaving her alone while she went out to party. With hardly a second thought, Keiko grinned understandingly. “Mimi’s welcome to come too, if she’d like!”

The pink-haired girl seemed genuinely shocked by the offer but quickly jumped up, straightening out her circle skirt. Her tone was cheery and playful. “Of course! I could never turn down free wine.” she giggled with a wink.

Looking a bit defeated, Sora let a smile fall onto her face as she fell back against her comforter. “At least let me get changed out of these sweaty clothes, you monster.”

In a matter of minutes, the three girls had marched back upstairs, joining Yuna in the cramped dorm room. As Mimi introduced herself, Sora and Keiko leaned against Keiko’s headboard, all of the girls crowded into the small double bed. As wine was poured and passed around, Keiko greeted their new guest. “So, Mimi, where are you from?”

Although Mimi seemed pretty down-to-earth, it seemed unlikely that she was from any of the small surrounding neighborhoods. They were all rather traditional, and the girl’s distinctly chic and girly style wasn’t very common in those areas. She smiled easily, clearly feeling comfortable even when surrounded by people who were essentially strangers to her. “I’m originally from New York, actually. But both my parents were from around here, so it felt right, to come back here.”

Keiko whistled lowly, swirling the wine in her red cup. “Damn, if I’d grown up in a place like that I don’t know if I’d ever been able to leave.”

Mimi chuckled, moving to pour herself another cup from the quickly emptying bottle. A few gold rings glittered from her dainty fingers as she set it back carefully on the desk. “It’s not as glamorous as you might think, actually. A lot of people are really rude, and selfish. Plus parking is just terrible wherever you go.”

“Oh don’t worry, people here can be dicks too.” Yuna snorted ironically, polishing off her second glass as well. “But at least they don’t card you for booze half the time if you show a little leg.”

With a round of giggles, the girls popped open the second bottle of wine, feeling a bit woozy as the conversation continued. Keiko was mildly impressed with how easily Mimi was able to adjust to her surroundings. She couldn’t have been in town for more than a week but she chatted with them as if she’d known them for years.

“So, how did you guys all meet?” Mimi inquired, the apples of her cheeks rosy and bright. Keiko snorted at the memory that question evoked, turning a quick glance towards Sora. The girl was holding back tipsy giggles of her own, leaning back against the wall. Mimi observed them curiously, an amused glimmer in her eye. “Well, now I just have to know.”

“Basically Keiko almost killed me with her car,” Sora stated, erupting in a fit of laughter as Keiko guffawed at the absurd insinuation.

“So not true,” she defended with a smile, letting the wine warmed her insides as she recalled the day. “I may have been parking a little crooked, and have come _close_ to _maybe_ hitting you.”

“Honey, your bumper was this close to my hip,” Sora exclaimed in a sweet voice, pinching her fingers together teasingly. “Besides, that’s not even the whole story. After nearly hitting a pedestrian, you blamed me for being in the way of your truck!”

“I mean you shouldn’t have been walking randomly in the middle of an empty parking space, just saying.” Keiko quipped, sipping her wine sassily. She grinned as she remembered how embarrassed and frustrating she had been, still a fairly-new driver in an unfamiliar city, and had all but bitten Sora’s head off in the parking lot of an event center. “Anyways, I was in the parking lot because I was helping my grandma set up a booth at some sort of botanical convention, and it turns out Sora’s mom had her flower arrangements right next to us.”

“Yeah not to mention my mom referred to your grandma as an old friend,” she chuckled at the irony of the past, turning her eyes back towards Mimi. “Turns out they had both been attending the convention for years and knew each other pretty well. Since Keiko and I were pretty much forced to be close to each other for three whole days, we hit it off pretty well.”

“And the rest is history,” Keiko muttered cheesily, swinging her fingers slowly to the indie music that swayed through the background.

Mimi grinned at the two girls, giggling along with them as she studied the string of lights hanging above Keiko’s bed. “Wow, you know what they say, a forced friendship is always the best kind.”

“Seems more like ‘attempted murder is the best shot at making people like you’” Yuna teased, her comeback a little slower than usual. “Seeing as you almost killed me too.”

“Okay, knocking your flute out of your hands is definitively _not_ the same as nearly running you over with my car.” Keiko giggled, pulling her short hair back behind her head.

“Says you,” Yuna retorted with a grin. “That flute cost like $200, my mom would’ve crushed my head under _her_ car if I’d broken it on the first day of class.”

A ping went off next to Mimi’s hip, her phone giving a short vibration. With a furrow, she opened her snapchat icon, a new purple square having appeared under the username _yagami.t99_. 

“Who’s it from?” Keiko pondered, sneaking a peek at the screen. Mimi quickly tapped the screen, the video scanning a row of three boys messily shotgunning cheap beers and tossing them aside with a yell, music pumping heavily in the background. The camera angle turned toward the person holding the camera, a tanned boy who’s wild hair took up nearly half the frame, cheersing his own drink in the air before downing it quickly. The text across the frame read ‘come down to the frat house it’s gonna be SICK tonight’.

With a renewed glint in her eye, Mimi glanced toward her newly-made group of friends, pursing her lips excitedly. “You girls feel like a party?”

“Mimi, no.” Sora protested tiredly, rolling her shoulders back. “I’m so tired and already pretty damn tipsy. Plus I’m basically in pajamas!”

“Our dorms on the way down, lazy,” Mimi reminded her cheekily, brushing her hair off to the side. “Besides, have any of you even been to a college party yet?”

As the group stayed silent, sipping their drinks, Mimi chortled, slipping off the edge of the bed. “That’s what I thought. You wanted this to be a night of passage? This is a good as it gets, girlies.”

Keiko had to admit that the video had made the party seem appealing, not to mention she had been itching to explore the campus and meet some new people. Besides, she was already half-drunk anyways, why not just go big? 

Chugging back the last of her rosé, Keiko kicked herself up beside Mimi, feeling a little dizzy. “I say we do it.”

Yuna threw herself back into the mattress with a disgruntled groan, rubbing her eyes as she rose again. “Jesus H. Christ, you will be the death of me.”

“I’m gonna take that as an enthusiastic yes,” Keiko giggled, digging haphazardly through her already messy drawers. “and I already know what you should wear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love my mini wine moms so much, and i'm really excited to continue to progress this story and all of their relationships!


End file.
